With the widespread use of wood substrates in business and in the home, e.g., walls, countertops, furniture, etc., the need for suitably decorating wood substrates is obvious. However, wood surfaces are not as receptive as other substances, e.g., paper, to the printing of decorations directly on their surface. Decorations printed directly on wood substrates are prone to abrasion, fading, and other types of wear and tear.
It is generally known that substrates can be decorated by applying a decoration such as by printing to a transfer sheet, bringing the decorated transfer sheet into contact with a substrate, and by the application of heat and pressure, transferring the decoration from the transfer sheet to the surface of the substrate. It is also known that by using sublimation dyes which vaporize when heated, the decoration can be made to penetrate or bleed into the body of the substrate. However, a process for transferring decorative designs from transfer sheets to wood substrates such that the decoration penetrates the body of the wood substrate has been elusive.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,354,851, issued Oct. 19, 1982 to Hix et al., discloses a method for producing a decorated substrate by bringing a sheet printed with a design that is formed by a sublimable coloring agent, and transferring the design to a pre-coated rigid panel having a clear, water-resistant polymeric coating. It is preferred that the surface coating be selected from alkyl-melamine resins, polyester resins, alkyl resins and acrylic polymers. The rigid panel forming substrate may be a cellulosic formed board such as hardboard, particle board, softboard, insulation board, or it may be a coated gypsum panel or a coated plywood panel. The coated surface of the panel and the decorated surface of the printed sheet are brought into physical contact. While their surfaces are maintained in contact, light pressure and heat is applied to sublime the coloring agent and cause it to be transferred to and penetrate into the polymeric coating on the surface of the rigid panel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,908,345, issued Mar. 13, 1990 to Egashire et al., discloses a thermal dye transfer system comprising a dye layer containing a fusible or sublimable dye, a sheet substrate and a dye receiving layer formed on at least one surface of the sheet substrate for receiving the dye. The substrate can be a natural fiber paper such as cellulose fiber paper. A specific feature of the dye receiving sheet is that the receiving layer comprises a specific modified polyester resin. As a result, it is reported that the dyeability and light resistance of the image can be improved.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,030,612, issued Jul. 9, 1991 to Uytterhoeven et al., discloses a thermal dye sublimation transfer recording element for receiving sublimable basic dye-precursors. U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,388, issued Jan. 14, 1975 to John M. Haigh, discloses a method for dye absorption into plastic sheets by placing polyethylene film between a dye transfer paper and a plastic sheet, where the application of heat and pressure causes the dye to migrate through the polyethylene on the surface of the plastic sheet.
There still remains the need for a cost-efficient process for the manufacture of decorated wall board panels that are advantageously distinguished by an improvement in properties including dyeability, weathering resistance and cleanability.